Ronald Lamont Smith

Ronald Lamont Smith of Perry, Michigan passed away aged 84 years surrounded by loving family on December 1, 2025 at White Lake Assisted Living and Memory Care in Whitehall, Michigan. Ron was a devoted dad, born mechanic, gentle jokester, and the warmest presence in any room.

Ron, born November 12, 1941 in Detroit, grew up in Perry, Michigan on the property of his beloved grandparents' "Parksdale Farm". It was the perfect childhood for his natural engineer's mind where he loved exploring how things worked and how to fix them without ever needing a manual. Even as a teenager, he was sought out to fix machinery that no one else could.

Ron graduated from Perry High School in 1959 and in 1963 married Beverly vandenBerg, with whom he raised five daughters-Christine (Brad Ford), Carole (Kelly Davis), Candice (Chris Fleszar), Cheryle (Matt Eisen), and Coreene (Jason Kreiser). When people offered sympathy about having "all girls," he would grin and say, "I love my girls. My girls can do anything your boys can do." He raised them on independence, curiosity, responsibility, a sense of fun and adventure along with unconditional love and lots of hugs-even when they made imperfect choices.

Ron worked for General Motors for 35 years as a die welder, completing his apprenticeship in 1964. Even when not at Oldsmobile, he was called upon by family, neighbors and friends for his mechanical & welding genius. If something broke, he fixed it. If something didn't exist yet, he engineered it from scraps. His creations included numerous tractor and auto modifications, a stump grinder, hydraulic log splitter that still works 40 years later and the award winning "Classy Massy" pulling tractor. His multiple mechanical hobbies included piloting private aircraft, motorcycles, drag racing, stock car racing, excavating, snowmobiling, boating and finding the limits on anything with engine power.

Ron also restored a triple-axle Model A that his grandfather built on the night shift at the River Rouge plant in 1930. This 4-wheel drive prototype was one-of-a-kind and featured at the Henry Ford Greenfield Village Old Car Show.

Ron assisted family and friends in starting their own businesses with mentoring and free labor to help them get on their feet, most importantly Woodhull Construction with his nephew Michael Smith.

Ron earned his Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic license from Lansing Community College in 1986, graduating valedictorian of his class. After retiring, Ron took his unique talents to Lakeland, Florida to live on an airstrip and volunteer for the annual Sun N Fun Airshow. He was then hired by Aircraft Maintenance & Restoration at the Florida Air Museum where many of his projects are still on display. In his 20 years there, he became an instructor for the Central Aerospace Academy and also solved an "unfixable" issue on a vintage WWII B-17 warbird. For the rest of his days, he proudly wore the exclusive flight jacket the crew gifted him as a thank you.

Ron is survived by his five daughters; 14 grandchildren; and four (soon to be five) great grandchildren, his former spouse, Beverly vandenBerg, brothers Bruce and David Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Eva Jean (Rosen) Smith.

A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring or summer near Perry, Michigan-when the weather is warm, because Ron avoided the cold and snow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cure Alzheimer's Fund or the Alzheimer's Association, supporting research, care, and advocacy.

Beacon Cremation & Funeral Service, White Lake Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

www.beaconfh.com